Telephonic apparatus.



T. G'. RAFFERTY. TELEPHONE APPARATUS. APPLIGATION FILED JULY 24, 1909.

. 956, 171 Patented Apr. 26, 19

mnvassea- INVENZOR t1on Fig. 4

To all whom it may concern."

rno'ivms c. RAFFERTY, or PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA,

TELEPHONIG APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed Jfu1 24, 1909.

Serial No. 509,465.

Be-it known that I, THOMAS C, RAFFERTY, a citizenof the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Telephonic Apparatus, of which the following is a specification. I

This invention is a telephonic apparatus designed for the use of persons havin defective hearing. Its primary object is to provide improved means, preferably adapted to be carried upon the person, for collecting, intensifying and transmitting sounds. Its characteristic features are comprised in' the combination of abattery, a receiver and a transmitter havingseveral megaphones or sound collecting funnels radiating and expanding from the central portion of a microphone diaphragm, the expanded ends being adapted for collecting sound w vetraveling inevery direction in the hemisphere which they occupy.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure ll represents a pocket battery and receiver combined with my improved transmitter shown in side elevation; Fig; 2 is a front elevation of the battery and transmitter directly connected Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of the transmitter with part of the back broken away to show the interior construcis a sectional view taken through the axis of the transmitter, and

. 5, 1s a plan View showing parts of the mlcrophone.

The apparatus, as shown in the drawings,- comprises the battery 1 having the electrodes 2 and- 2, the transmitter 3 having the electrodes 4 and 4: which may be connected to the electrodes 2 and 2 directly as shown in Fi 2 or, indirectly by the conductors 5 as shownin Figs. 1 and 3, and the receiver 6 which is connected with the elec-- trodes 4 and 7 by the conductors 8 and 8' respectively.

The transmitter comprises the circular insulating shell' 9, suitably of hard rubber, which has therein the conducting skeleton disk or.s ider 10. The barelectrode' 4 is fixed to t e member 10 and electrically connected therewith, the bar electrode 4 is 'fixedto the member 10 and electrically insulated therefrom and the pin electrode 7 phones or sound collecting central portion of the can be supported of the user by directly connecting together is fixed to'the member 10 and electrically insulated "therefrom. A conducting microphone, block 11, suitably of carbon, is supported by the member 10, from which it is insulated and is held by the member 7 which it is in electrical contact. The block 11 is provided with the cups or cavities 11' which contain carbon granules 12 A carbon diaphragm 13 is clamped between the hearing or inwardly extending part 9 of the shell 9 and the bearing 10 of the spider 10, tlle central portion of the diaphragm being inxcontact with the granules of the cups 11. I s

The shell 9 has formed, in the forward or receiving part 9 thereof, the several megafunnels 9 9", 9- expand' from the microphone diaphragm 13, the outer expanded ends embracing the bulk of the space in front of the diaphragm and being-disposed so 'as to concentrate and carry directly to the center of the diaphragm sound waves reaching the transmitterv from all points in the hemisphere coincident with the front of the transmitter.

The transmitter can be supported by attaching it to wearing apparel, as'upon the breast of the user, by the hook 3" conductors 5, 5-

and 9 which radiate an by the battery in the pocket the respective members 2, 2' and 4, 4.

It willbe understood that by this sound collecting mechanism, comprising the megaphones'integrally formed with the trans: mitter shell, sound waves are carried to the diaphragm which 'otherwise reach it-and that the vibrations of the diaphragm are accentuated. Consequently the variations in the pressure between the diaphragm and the granules, the pulsations of the current which are carried through the microphone to the receiver and the transmlssion of sound thereby is amplified. Having described my invention', Iclain1: l. A transmitter comprising a diaphragm, megaphones radiating the central portion of Said dia hragm, and microphonic means coacting Wlth StLld dia phragm. v 1

2. A transmitter comprising a microphone would not" Patented Apr. 26, 19 1o.

with

when the u are used, or otherwise it and expanding from having a diaphragm connected therewith and several megaphones radiating and expanding from the central portion of said diaphragm so asto collect sound waves and l 5 cause them to impinge upon said central por- Witnesses:

tion of said diaphragm. CHARLES J. MCDERMOTT,

In'witness whereof Ihave hereunto set I Jos. G. DENNY, Jr.

THOMAS C. RAFFERTY.

myname this 15th day of July, A. D. 1909, in the presence of the subscribing witnesses. 

